Saturday, March 28, 2009

Me at the WTC?

Edit: No, WTC in this instance is not the World Trade Center. In the Triathlon community, it stands for World Triathlon Corporation.

Wouldn't that be interesting! Roman posted about the opening, and good ol' Spokane Al sent me an e-mail (luckily, since I hadn't seen Roman's post yet) with the link in it. Not having a degree in Journalism or any PR experience, it was difficult to fathom having the qualifications necessary for the position.

But I'm an all-round good guy with some time on my hands, and it got me to thinking...I've got plenty of journalism experience. There are people out there who like what I write, right? Of course, I imagine that writing in "blog" style would be different from writing for a magazine or a company PR program, but as far as the content, perhaps not so much.

So I applied -

Interestingly, I applied just a few minutes ago thinking how great it would be to work in the world of fitness, but that I don't have a degree in Journalism nor have I worked in public relations for the specified times set out in the job requirements. Then I remembered http://clydesdaleshavebigbikes.blogspot.com – my blog of nearly 3 years, where I’ve wrote consistently about our great sport of triathlon, and of life in general. I also nearly forgot about the podcast I’ve co-chaired for just over a year, The Tacboy and Bigun Podcast (http://bigun86.podbean.com/ ), in which we also cover topics in the world of fitness and triathlon, albeit with a bit of tongue and cheek. So while my “work” resume hasn’t changed, perhaps my years of relating to the public – my “creepy internet friends” – would act as either an internship or on the job training in the world of journalism and multi-media entertainment.

One of my most read blog postings was a review of the Zipps I rode at IMCdA:
http://clydesdaleshavebigbikes.blogspot.com/2008/07/clydesdale-zipp-808-review.html

and my second submission is a bit of comedy about flip turns:

http://clydesdaleshavebigbikes.blogspot.com/2006/12/flip-turns.html

Thanks again for considering me for this position. I know I can be an asset to your organization!

Yes, as is customary with the M-dot Bigun, I acted before really thinking, and sent out my resume without so much as a cover letter or the required 2 pieces of material. Duh. It's difficult to go back into your own blog and pick something that you think is good and that others think might be good too. From the other world. The "real" world. We all read each other's crap all the time, and aside from boring dribble that occasionally passes by our fingertips, we find interest because we are FRIENDS with the person writing. It's all "I" and "me" and a lot of "we" - where I doubt that's accepted much in official journalistic prose.

They also asked about salary requirements. How much do you think a PR Coordinator makes these days? After all, I can't pay my car note with free IM entries....although it would be fun to try!

9 comments:

Visionbuilder said...

OK, maybe I'm a big freaking idiot.... but isn't the WTC the world trade center??? While terrorist induced holes in the ground need PR people, I can't imagine it pays much more than blogger or podcaster. ;P

Unknown said...

OMG Bigun, I saw the same post and was just thinking of sending you that same post. You came to mind immediately!
Good Luck!

Visionbuilder said...

Edit: No, WTC in this instance is not the World Trade Center. In the Triathlon community, it stands for World Triathlon Corporation.

Well then... Never mind..... I guess I never got the memo... Carry on!!!

George Houston said...

did you call me 'Creepy'???

Sue said...

I always enjoyed your writing..maybe a new gig for you could be a coming..

Carrie said...

I saw Roman's post and thought of you as well. You're right there, you've got a love for the sport and the brand, and you are very personable. PR written all over you. Good luck!

momo said...

i saw it too and thought of you, big guy. GOOD LUCK!

Formulaic said...

Any call backs from WTC yet?

SixTwoThree said...

Well, PR coordinator - that'll get you about $25-30K. PR director – the skies the limit. Well, not really. But it's fun to dream huh? And once you enter the dark side of PR, it's very difficult to be taken seriously as a journalist every again. Wouldn't you be happier podcasting and saying whatever you want? I have to wonder!